Seattle First Baptist Church was organized in 1869 by 11 men and women on a lot donated by Elizabeth (Jones) Holgate (1796-1880), a widow who had lived in Seattle since at least 1856. The wooden church was built on the east side of Fourth Avenue, between Cherry Street and James Street. The building was abandoned after 1908 when regrading of Fourth Avenue left the building inaccessible. The municipal building, housing Seattle City Hall now stands in this location. In 1912 a new First Baptist Church building was opened at Harvard Avenue and Seneca Street which is still in use. This image shows the laying of the cornerstone of the new church building in a ceremony attended by parishioners as well as delegates to the Western Washington Baptist Convention.

Handwritten on verso: Laying cornerstone, 1st Baptist Church, Seattle Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times, October 8, 1910, page 7 Caption information source: Campanario, G. (2012, September 29). Reaching for the sky, long before the Needle - Seattle Sketcher. The Seattle Times, pp. B1 Caption information source: http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2012/09/first-hill-seattle-first-baptist-church-celebrates-100-years-of-service-in-seattle

• Subjects (LCTGM): Churches--Washington (State)--Seattle; Construction--Washington (State)--Seattle; Seattle First Baptist Church (Seattle, Wash.)